1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method for the image forming apparatus, a program and, in particular, to a technology for handling recording paper output to an output unit after an image is formed thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the use of multi function printers (MFPs) has been rapidly increasing. In MFPs, a copy machine is not only used for copying, but also for printing, scanning, and faxing. MFPs are also used as network printers which perform a printing process based on print jobs delivered from other apparatuses on the network.
When an MFP is used as a network printer, a user sometimes does not pick up the printout (printed document) outputted to an output unit of the MFP immediately after submitting the print job. This can result in a potential security problem, for example, a third person can view the printed document left in the output unit or can take it out.
In addition, if printed documents from a plurality of users are left in an output tray and end up mixed up together, it is difficult for a user to find the user's printed document. If, in order to find the user's printed document, the user picks up another user's printed document from the output tray and places it near the MFP, it is difficult for the other users to find their printed documents.
Furthermore, even if some user finds another user's printed document on the output tray or near the MFP and wants to inform the owner of the printed document, the user has no way to tell who is the owner of the printed document.
To solve these problems, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-115957, for example, discloses an MFP having a secured printing function in which a job having a security code added by a print driver of a personal computer is submitted to the MFP and a printing process starts only by inputting the security code to the MFP.
Additionally, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-44255 discloses a technology that, when recording paper is left on an output tray for longer than a predetermined time period, a printer sends an e-mail to a user to whom the output tray is assigned in advance to notify the user that the recording paper is still there.